Supporting mechanism for endless traveling grates.



P. M. CLARK. SUPPORTING MECHANISM FOR ENDLESS TRAVELING GRATES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 3, 1912.

1,094,703, Patented Apr. 28, 1914.

3 BHEETSSHEBT 1.

ORNE Y COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH co, WASHINGTON, n. c

P. M. CLARK.

SUPPORTING MECHANISM FOR ENDLESS TRAVELING GRATES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 3, 1912.

Patented Apr. 28, 1914.

3 BHEETS SHEET 2.

WITNESSES: w. wage/CM INI/ENTOI? TTORNE V P. M. CLARK. SUPPORTINGMECHANISM FOR ENDLESS TRAVELING GRATES. APPLICATION FILED MAYS, 1912.

1,094,703, Patented Apr 28, 1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

AITOR/VEY an STATES PATEN FRANCIS MORTON CLARK, OF GAR-DEN CITY, NEWYORK, ASSIGNOB, T0 MULTIPLE- GRATE-BAR ENDLESS CHAIN STOKER COMPANY, ACORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

SUPPORTING MECHANISM FOR ENDLESS TRAVELING GRATES.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, FRANCIS Mon'roN CLARK, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Garden City, in the county of Nassau and State ofNew York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement inSupporting Mechanism for Endless Traveling Grates, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention is an improvement in mechanical stokers of the endlesstraveling grate type and relates more particularly to reinforcing meansfor preventing deflection of the sprocket shafts intermediate their endjournals and to means for supporting the upper run of the grateintermediate the idlers over which the conveyer chains run.

My invention, while of general applicability to traveling grates, isespecially adapted for use in connection with a mechanical stoker suchas that shown and described in the application of Harvey Iserman, SerialNumber 6%,745, filed September 11, 1911, to which I have permission torefer.

The objects of my invention are, first, to provide reinforcing meanswhich shall support the sprocket shafts in a direction longitudinal ofthe grate to prevent deflection of such shafts due to the strain placedthereon by conveyer chains intermediate the ends of said shafts and toso locate such supporting means that the travel of the grate will not beinterfered with; and, second, to provide means, intermediate the idlerson which the upper run of the conveyer chains rests between the frontand rear sprockets, on which the grate may rest to prevent saggingthereof, and to relieve the front and rear sprocket shafts of a portionof the weight of said grate.

In the drawings accompanying this application and forming a partthereof, Figure 1 is a side view, a portion of the middle being brokenaway, showing the shaft reinforcing means; Fig. 2 is a perspective morefully showing the shaft reinforcing means and the relation between theshaft reinforcing means and the shafts upon which the idlers aremounted; Fig. 3 is a perspective Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 3, 1912.

Patented Apr. 28, 1914.

Serial No. 694,823.

view of the chain supporting rails and one of the idler shafts; Fig. 4is a plan view showing two of the sets of rails illustrated in Flg. 3;and Fig. 5 is a perspective, the middle portion being broken away,showing the parts heretofore mentioned in relation to the travelinggrate, only a portion of which latter is shown for the sake of clearnessof illustration.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 5, the grate is mounted on a frontdriven sprocket shaft 6 and a rear sprocket shaft 7 both of which aremounted in the main frame F of the stoker in journals laterally exteriorof the grate, of which only two, indicated by the letter X, are shownfor lack of room on the sheet. It will be understood, however, thatsimilar bearings are provided for the remaining ends of the respectiveshafts. Also mounted in the stoker frame are the non-revoluble idlercarrying shafts 8, which may be solid or pipe as preferred. These shaftscarry idlers 9 free to rotate thereon and on which run the conveyerchains 10 of the grate 11.

The grate illustrated and described in said Iserman application iscapable of being eX- panded to any desired width by the addition of moregrate bar sections and conveyer chains 10, and, in the case of grates ofconsiderable width, several of these intermediate conveyor chains areemployed. These intermediate chains, if maintained at the same tensionas the outer chains, which is very desirable, place a heavy tension onthe shafts 6 and 7 and tend to distort them in a direction longitudinalof the grate. To resist this tendency to distortion, 1 have provided thereinforcing means shown in detached view in Figs. 1 and 2 in which 12and 13 are upper and lower fiat members, preferably of wrought iron orsteel though castings may be employed, which straddle the shafts 8 andon which they are clamped by bolts 14:. At one end of the plates 12, 13,(preferably at the front) is a cast iron block 15, held in place bybolts 16, which permits free passage of the threaded shaft 17. The shaft17 has a square head 18 adapted to fit in a similar shaped recess in alialf-ji'uirnal it) which bears shaft 0. it bears against the block 15in position to adjust the length of the reinforcing means. "it the otherend of the fiat members 12, 3, a half-journal ill is fitted by the boltsBy turning the nut 20 the reinforcing means may be adjusted to theproper length to keep the shafts (S and 7 from distortion and, whenadjusted, the bolts l t are tightened to cause the plates l2, iii, tograsp the shafts 8 and hold the entire structure rigid and in lit-zedposition.

ll hilc l have shown only one sha"t reinforcing means, and find that asingle one is usually sufficient, it will be obvious that more than onemay be employed without departing from my invention.

in Figs. 3 and f I have shown in detached ricws the grate supportingmechanism. it consists of a soles of pairs of rails 23, 2st, one pairfor each conveyor chain, joined at frequent intervals by spacer bolts 25and notched at 26 to receive the shafts 8 upon which the rails aresupported. Collars 28 on the shafts 8 hold the supporting rails againstlateral displacement and in position on the shafts with the idlers 9between the pairs of rails. The upper surface of the rails is a littlebelow the bearing surface of the idlers so that the conveyor chains 10when passing over the idlers are so ported thereby. Between the idlerseither the horizontal links of the chains 10 or the lower portion of thegrate bars contact with the rails preventing the grate from sagging andtransferring that portion of the weight which the rails receive to theshafts 8, thus lessening the load imposed on the chain and the tensionexerted against the sprocket shafts. I have so proportioned the partsthat the lower portion of the grate bars contact with the rails but itwill be obvious that should the design of the grate bar require, orshould it for any other reason be found desirable, the parts may be somade that the horizontal links of the conveyor :hain may engage therails without departing from my invention.

ll am aware that it has been proposed to prori de stokers with shaftreinforcing means which comprise a truss frame adjacent each end of theand struts for preventing deflection of the sprocket shafts. All ofthese structi'ircs are, howercr, necessarly heavy, cumbersome, and expen're and require the manipulation of two adjusting screws; whereas in mydevice the thrust from the two sprocket shafts is opposed and thereforetaken up, the adjustment is accomplished by the turning of a singlescrew, and the pressure exerted is necessarily the same on the twoshafts. The employment of supporting rails for the g ate carried onidler shafts has the decided advantage of dispensing with. cross beamsor other supporting devices intermediate the up1 cr and lower runs ofthe grate, thus materially lighten ing the striiicturc and leaving thisspace free for the use of the shaft reinforcin means.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is:

1. In a mechanical stoker, a frame, front and rear shafts journaled insaid frame,

sprockets on said shafts, an endless grate traveling on said sprockets,reinforcing means independent of the frame and extending from the frontto the rear shafts, means for adjusting the length of said reinforcingmeans, and half-journals at the ends of said reinforcing means andengaging said sprocket shafts to maintain them in alincment.

2. In a mechanical stoker, a frame, front and rear shafts journaled insaid frame, sprockets on said shafts, nonn'otatable idler shafts mountedin said frame, an endless grate traveling on said sprockets, bifurcatedreinforcing means straddling said idler shaft-s, means for clamping saidreinforcing means to said idler shafts, half- 'ournals mounted at eachend of said reinforcing means in position to engage said front and rearshafts, and means for adjusting the distance between said half-journals.

3. ln mechanical stoker, front and rear sprocket shafts, sprocketsthereon, idler shafts intermediate said sprocket shafts, idlers thereon,a grate traveling over said sprockets and supported in its upper run onsaid idlers, and means inte mediate said idlers, and resting on saididler shafts, for aiding in supporting said grate.

41-. In a mechanical stoker, a frame, front and rear sprocket shaftsmounted in said frame, idler shafts mounted in said frame intermediatesaid sprocket shafts, idlers on said idler shafts, a grate travelingover said spree e and supported in its upper run on said idlers, andmeans intermediate said idlers, and resting on said idler shafts, foraiding in supporting said grate.

5. In a mechanical stoker, frame, idler shafts mounted thereon, idlerson said shafts, an endless traveling grate running on said idlers, andpairs of spaced rails, one of which rails is located on each side ofraid idlers, said rails being supported on said idler shafts in positionso that their upper surfaces will engage the grate at pointsintermediate the idlers to assist in supporting the grate.

6. in a mechanical stoker, a frame, idler shafts mounted thereon, idlerson said shafts, front and rear sprockets, an endless traveling graterunning on said sprockets and intermediate its sprocket and idlersupport idlers, and pairs of spaced rails, one of which to assist insupporting the grate. 10 rails is located on each side of said idlers,In testimony whereof, I hereunto affix my said rails being supported onsaid idler signature in the presence of two Witnesses. shafts andextending from a point adjacent FRANCIS MORTON CLARK.

the front sprockets to a point adjacent the Vitnesses:

rear sprockets, in position such that their MEREDITH CLARK,

upper surfaces engage the grate at points MARY WVALKER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents- Washington, .D. C.

